Chapter 52: Harmony Between Man and Nature, Two Realms Apart

"Yet I have already sensed the harmony of heaven and earth, and now I am truly stuck at the threshold of the unity of heaven and man," Tong Zhi said, carefully observing Lu Wu's expression to ensure he was not being mocked.

"Tell me, what is the unity of heaven and man?" Lu Wu asked.

Tong Zhi found this a bit strange, but reflecting that the youth before him was only fifteen and yet had already stepped into the realm of formidable commanders, he figured there might be some earth-shattering, secret teachings behind it.

"The unity of heaven and man is when one uses one's own spiritual essence to seek out the resonant breath of heaven and earth amidst the cosmos, drawing that breath into the body. Through a gradual tempering process, one's internal Qi aligns and harmonizes with the ambient Qi of heaven and earth. From then on, the spirit resonates with the breath of the cosmos, allowing one to remotely manipulate internal Qi once it leaves the body.

Once this unity is achieved, one can conceal one's presence within the heaven and earth, evading sensory detection. Moreover, when a second-rank master projects their Qi externally, it responds to the ambient Qi of heaven and earth, allowing a single fraction of internal Qi to carry the might of three."

"On that day when General Lu fought a bloody battle along the grand street, Consort An Lian directing his sword through Qi—that was the supreme swordsmanship of the unity of heaven and man realm."

Tong Zhi offered a general explanation. The essentials of the upper three ranks were closely guarded secrets to ordinary people, but to inherited innate martial artists, they were no great mystery.

"I see. And what about the first rank?" Lu Wu asked.

"The first rank is called 'external projection of inner scenery.' One must project the inner scenery of the heart outward into the external world to achieve success. As for realms above the first rank, there are only the military commanders, martial arts grandmasters, and the Daoist immortals of the mysterious gates—you yourself defeated a grandmaster of Chu head-on that day, cementing your renown as a formidable military commander."

"I am a military commander?" Lu Wu pointed at his own nose and asked.

"Of course!" Tong Zhi replied with absolute certainty.

Among the three transcendent realms, martial arts grandmasters most heavily countered military commanders. Throughout history, countless military commanders had fallen to the assassinations of martial arts grandmasters.

That Lu Wu could repel a martial arts grandmaster within enemy ranks was considered a rare and formidable feat even among military commanders.

Yet people were unaware that the Chu grandmaster at the time also believed himself to be deep within enemy territory and dared not unleash his full power.

Not only that, the grandmaster had to protect Lord Jiu, failing to fully utilize his advantage in movement techniques. It was only after clashing head-on against Lu Wu's nineteen consecutive Azure Dragon Seawater-Disturbing Halberd strikes that he had no choice but to retreat.

"Then I understand. To advance your spiritual essence further, you must not rely on overflowing internal Qi to drag your spirit along. Only when you can directly detach your spirit from the internal Qi and project it out of the body will you have hope of sensing the breath of heaven and earth," Lu Wu said.

In his previous world, this particular step was merely a minor sub-tier of the sensory realm—though that "external projection of inner scenery" was rather interesting.

During the Qi-cultivation stage, internal Qi and spiritual essence are unified within the body. However, projecting Qi externally only releases the Qi itself without the spirit, which is why detached Qi cannot be manipulated.

Going a step further, as the bond between spirit and Qi grows tighter, projecting Qi externally can also carry the spirit out of the body, drastically enhancing sensory perception and even allowing one to detect the malicious intent of others.

This was what was known as sensing heaven and earth.

However, the spirit carried out by internal Qi remains locked in its "frequency" by that very Qi, making it impossible to align with the signals of the cosmos. Only by separating internal Qi from the spirit and extending pure spirit out of the body one could have a chance to sense the breath of heaven and earth.

The difference between the two was akin to stretching out an entire arm versus extending a single nerve.

Hearing Lu Wu's words, Tong Zhi was overjoyed. He stood up and bowed deeply, hands clasped, "Thank you for your guidance, General Lu!"

Although Lu Wu had only stated the essentials without detailing how to achieve it, for an innate-level master, the most troublesome part was simply not knowing where to begin. Now that he knew his spirit needed to detach from his internal Qi, he could simply devise ways to temper his spirit.

"It is nothing much. If you are so inclined, help me gather some information concerning the external projection of inner scenery, military commanders, martial arts grandmasters, and Daoist immortals of the mysterious gates," Lu Wu said. Originally, he had looked down upon the martial arts of this world.

Yet upon hearing the phrase "external projection of inner scenery," he realized that the martial arts of this realm indeed possessed unique merits.

In his previous world, only true practitioners who had forged their primordial spirits were qualified to speak of "external projection of inner scenery."

"I shall immediately dispatch a letter to Songjing and have my family compile these materials. However, secret manuals of this tier are extremely rare, and I cannot guarantee I can acquire them—though General Lu might ask the Queen Dowager of Wu to open the royal archives; books of this nature are bound to be stored within."

"I intend to travel across the Central Plains to broaden my horizons and shall not return to Songjing anytime soon," Lu Wu shook his head.

If he were to return to Songjing, he might well be intercepted by his mother and father and unable to leave again.

"General Lu wishes to travel to the Central Plains? Then the State of Chu will be a necessary stop along the way. Since General Lu dismantled Lord Jiu's collusion with Chu, traveling to Chu at this moment carries certain risks. I advise caution above all," Tong Zhi cautioned.

That the State of Chu had dispatched a martial arts grandmaster to protect Lord Jiu showed just how crucial Lord Jiu's endeavor was to Chu.

Since Lu Wu had ruined this scheme, Chu would undoubtedly harbor deep resentment. As long as Lu Wu avoided Chu, given his ability to repel a grandmaster, he naturally need not fear retaliation.

Yet if he were to walk straight into Chu and throw himself into a trap, the reaction of the Chu state would be unpredictable.

Lu Wu pondered for a moment before making up his mind, "I must still go. In any case, I am merely passing through; I shall simply be more cautious."

To have declared he was running away from home, only to turn back because the road ahead was dangerous, would be shameful.

He considered himself a powerhouse of the realm; even if Chu mobilized a massive army to encircle and annihilate him from all sides, he would not be afraid.

He simply needed to devise a method to ensure Qiutong and the others did not fall into danger.

The Lan River surged majestically, winding for ten thousand miles. Mortals knew not where its source lay, though legend held that the Lan River originated from the Kunlun Mountains, flowing across the Central Plains and nourishing myriads of living souls.

Where it flowed between Wu and Chu, the Lan River had grown immensely wide, its surface stretching over thirty miles across, making the opposite shore invisible to the naked eye and possessing almost the boundless grandeur of the ocean.

Zhonghe Ferry was one of the two most important ferries in the State of Wu. Twenty miles upstream lay the Zhonghe Naval Fortress, one of the two major naval strongholds of the Wu navy, standing far apart and opposing the Nanping Naval Fortress of Chu on the opposite bank.

"What a massive river!" Seeing such a vast body of water for the first time, the maidens stood at the bow, gazing excitedly at the river's expanse.

"The Lan River is renowned as the greatest river under heaven, so of course it is vast. This section alone is thirty-four miles wide, even broader than the Zhuma Lake," Li Shi explained.

"Are there dragons in here, then?" Chrysanthemum asked with curiosity.

Numerous myths and legends surrounded the Lan River, and tales concerning dragons were truly plentiful.

"Perhaps, though I have traveled the Lan River more than twenty times and have only ever seen giant fish, never a dragon."

"Just how big are those giant fish?" Bamboo asked curiously.

"Larger than this boat. When one swims beneath us, looking down from the bow, we can see nothing but a vast shadow. Back then, everyone held their breath and dared not utter a single word," Li Shi recalled, still feeling a lingering sense of dread at the memory.

"A fish that big—is it a spirit monster?"

Qiutong's interest was also piqued. The largest fish she had ever seen was only slightly longer than a human; how could she ever have imagined a fish larger than a ship?

"That truly tests me—at the time, the fish merely swam beneath the boat toward the east, without displaying any supernatural powers. Still, to grow to such a size, perhaps it truly is a spirit monster," Li Shi mused.

"Oh, I wonder if we might see a giant fish this time?" Chrysanthemum yearned aloud.

"It is better if we do not see one. Ordinary fish five or six feet long already possess the strength of a grown man in the water. A fish that large could easily overturn this boat," Li Shi had no desire to lay eyes on such a creature again.

"It's fine, the young master would just kill it," Chrysanthemum said, her adoration for Lu Wu deeply rooted.